Meet Drea and Mark Mizer, the owners of Buddha Bruddah in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. In December 2014, they opened the first Buddha Bruddah food truck, serving hefty portions of delicious Hawaiian favorites like Kalua Pork and Huli Huli Chicken alongside Thai classics like Red Chicken Curry and Phad Thai Noodles. They opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant in April 2018, followed by a second truck a year later. In 2021, they opened a second location in Kenmore.
Get to know more about Drea, Mike, and Buddha Bruddah in this week’s Business Spotlight Q&A.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in & why?
Our favorite part of each community that we are located in is the local connection to residents and other small businesses. It is so wonderful to get to know our regular customers by name and learn about their families and interests. Being part of a small local network of businesses gives us a sense of security and camaraderie knowing that we have others to rely on and in turn others to help.
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLikeItMatters?
It is important to support the diverse small business community so that small businesses can survive and thrive. Diversity is the rhythm and heartbeat of any strong community. Running a small business means the owners are typically wearing many hats and solving many problems, leaving us with fewer hours in the day to spend with family or to do other things we love. When our businesses are strong and thriving, we have the luxury of hiring more employees and are awarded more time to do other things we love and participate in other community activities.
What’s something that people might not know about your business?
We offer self-ordering tray catering for pickup or delivery through a direct link on our website. This is an excellent option for smaller get-togethers, office lunches, or budget-friendly parties. We only need 24-48 hours advance notice and this is where you can order specialty items like Spam Musubi and Fresh Fruit Platters. We also offer full-service catering options with staffing for larger events and we can provide buffet service or food truck service with add-on features like tray passed appetizers, bussing, and bartending services.
What are some other small businesses that you love?
There are so many great small businesses, almost too many to mention. The ones we frequent for dining and treats are Valhalla Sandwiches, Island Blends Acai, Lowrider Cookie Company, Seattle Fish Guys, MexiCuban, Street Treats, Mexcal Grill, Kathakali, and Young Brothers Pho in Kirkland.
Non-food small businesses that we love are Florentino’s Fine Flowers (Mark’s nephew), TGA Hoods, Laura Anders Photography, Lake WA Physical Therapy, Gorilla Screen Printing, and Perkins Glass.